Cash less society has it arrived?

[acidfast7]

That is an interesting, and I believe wrong, assessment. Some customers demand the ability to pay with plastic. And, while it would be nice to be able to tell them that you don't because you are passionate - passion don't pay the rent.

When I had my gallery - heck even now - my credit card facilities consisted of one of those old mechanical CC imprint machines.

In these type of instances, many galleries I deal with do direct electronic bank transfer in house rather than CC. It's also much secure than CC.

If I purchase a piece of art/furniture for over 1000€, I do a direct bank transfer at the gallery. That way the owner doesn't pay CC fees and they get immediate confirmation of transfer. Sure, it may take 5 mins, but in a "gallery" setting that's not a big deal. Usually, that's when the sekt (small) or champagne (large purchases) comes out anyway, after a friendly negotiation.

I can't imagine many places, except retail chains, that have customers demanding CC options.

 

[zioxide]

Yes you can.

Maybe in Cali and Colorado, but not here on the east coast

 

[yg17]

I can't imagine many places, except retail chains, that have customers demanding CC options.

No, no one is "demanding" anything, but in the US, where plastic is very prevalent, then small businesses need to either accept plastic or take the hit in business. If I don't have cash, I'm not going to go out of my way to get some to shop at a business when I can go to a competitor to get the same product who will take my card.

 

[Shrink]

In most cases, the merchant doesn't eat the loss.



Yes you can.

WHERE!!!???

Actually, don't tell me. Too easy to spend too much. Also, I don't really want Weed R Us on my CC statement.

 

[DReynolds86]

As long as there are still bars and strip clubs, there will never be a cashless society.

 

[rdowns]

Maybe in Cali and Colorado, but not here on the east coast

There's a service in Manhattan that delivers and accepts credit cards. Or so I'm told.

 

[acidfast7]

Wow, in Düsseldorf / Bochum where I lived / live I have never seen any places like this.

Can you give me the address, if I hit up Frankfurt will try to pop into these places.

Pizzeria Monte Carlo - Schweizer Platz (20m in this direction, they'll be a tiny 50cm tall sign chained to the tree.)

review: http://www.qype.com/place/17567-Pizzeria-Monte-Carlo-Frankfurt-am-Main

street view:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Schwe...=IyvduYlPjur5ILCJD4Lpsw&cbp=12,120.02,,0,7.92

On the smallish place, I can't read the name. But it's the tiny place here with the banner over the door. It's on Textorstraße

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Schwe...9cfE2We5s2z9SGdFnA&cbp=12,329.57,,1,1.11&z=16

Send me a PM if you're heading that way as I live around the corner, so to speak, and just found a great Eritrean restaurant stocked with sofas, great food, and 1.30€/bottle African beer served from an almost defunct fridge.

Sorry, no cards accepted either.

 

[iStudentUK]

If I purchase a piece of art/furniture for over 1000€, I do a direct bank transfer at the gallery. That way the owner doesn't pay CC fees and they get immediate confirmation of transfer.

Here I'll always try to buy any capital item over £100 on a credit card. There is useful law here that makes the lender equally liable with sellers when you spend over £100. So it's extra protection is anything goes wrong. Banks hate it and don't like to advertise it, but a couple of people I know used it without issue.

 

[acidfast7]

If I don't have cash, I'm not going to go out of my way to get some to shop at a business when I can go to a competitor to get the same product who will take my card.

We're discussing places that don't sell "same products" or have "similar services."

----------

Here I'll always try to buy any capital item over £100 on a credit card. There is useful law here that makes the lender equally liable with sellers when you spend over £100. So it's extra protection is anything goes wrong. Banks hate it and don't like to advertise it, but a couple of people I know used it without issue.

It's hard to fault a piece of art/sculpture/hand-made furniture after purchase. And, I've found that most people will fix/replace/slightly modify anything after purchase as they're not willing to take a hit to their professional reputation, as it's all they have.

 

[rasmusonline]

Excellent, thanks, will definitely do so!

 

[Happybunny]

Shame the old Dutch Gilder bank notes are gone. They were very pretty - colourful and plastic.

Image

It's funny to see them again.
We had slang names for all the bank notes. For the new Euro notes not so much.(maybe in time it's only been 10 years)

These are the ones I remember
10 hlf was a Joetje
25 hlf was a Geeltje (it means yellow the note back in 1930's was yellow and the name just stuck)
100 hlf was a Meier
1000 hlf was a Rug

you can't buy weed with a credit card

Well here in the Netherlands you could.

Right after you paid for your "Lady of the night" both are quite legal here.

 

[snberk103]

In these type of instances, many galleries I deal with do direct electronic bank transfer in house rather than CC. It's also much secure than CC.
...

I can't imagine many places, except retail chains, that have customers demanding CC options.

Ohh boyy.... I was just a little gallery..... in house electronic bank transfers? I should have been so lucky.... Remember, this was a business built on passion. I was giving up-and-coming - but talented - photographers a chance to show their work. Thanks for the smile though!

Because geography is so important in discussions like these, I should note that I am in Canada, and we had a significant tourist segment. Mostly Americans, then Europeans. Nobody ever wanted to initiate a electronic bank transfer, luckily....no... I'm wrong.... I had one electronic bank transfer. Took us the better part of the day to set it up. Luckily it was for a client in the US and we were communicating by email (the artist had set it up, so I knew it was a legitimate transaction).

 

[Hastings101]

I tend to use cash for purchases under $20, just out of habit I guess. For anything else though it's always with a debit card or for expensive purchases, credit card.

So outside of cheap stuff, I guess I'm pretty cashless.

 

[yg17]

There's a service in Manhattan that delivers and accepts credit cards. Or so I'm told.

Do you call up and yell "BITCH! You know what I want. I wanna talk to Samson!"

 

[acidfast7]

Ohh boyy.... I was just a little gallery..... in house electronic bank transfers? I should have been so lucky.... Remember, this was a business built on passion. I was giving up-and-coming - but talented - photographers a chance to show their work. Thanks for the smile though!

Because geography is so important in discussions like these, I should note that I am in Canada, and we had a significant tourist segment. Mostly Americans, then Europeans. Nobody ever wanted to initiate a electronic bank transfer, luckily....no... I'm wrong.... I had one electronic bank transfer. Took us the better part of the day to set it up. Luckily it was for a client in the US and we were communicating by email (the artist had set it up, so I knew it was a legitimate transaction).

My bank in Sweden (SEB) gave out keychains with a 9 digit punchpad that you could you log in online and to confirm a electronic bank transfer. You could stop in one day, agree on a price, do the transfer, and pick up the time the next day, when the owner had confirmed it. Not any harder than sending an SMS. Germany is a little more cumbersome.

Looks like this:

 

[Happybunny]

My bank in Sweden (SEB) gave out keychains with a 9 digit punchpad that you could you log in online and to confirm a electronic bank transfer. You could stop in one day, agree on a price, do the transfer, and pick up the time the next day, when the owner had confirmed it. Not any harder than sending an SMS. Germany is a little more cumbersome.

Looks like this:

We have the same system here in the Netherlands. Although our punch pad is to big to use as a key ring.

 

[snberk103]

My bank in Sweden (SEB) gave out keychains with a 9 digit punchpad that you could you log in online and to confirm a electronic bank transfer. You could stop in one day, agree on a price, do the transfer, and pick up the time the next day, when the owner had confirmed it. Not any harder than sending an SMS. Germany is a little more cumbersome.

Looks like this:

Unfortunately, around here our choices are Cash, Credit, Debit, or Local Cheque.

There is enough credit card fraud here in North America that I think the issuing banks are going to have to move to a different system soon. It's not the credit card fees that are expensive to a merchant... it's the issuing banks spreading their costs for lost/stolen funds over their entire customer base through high interest rates.... imho-of course.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

I use my credit card for almost everything. I pay it off in full every month so I have never paid a dime of interest on it and I collect the rewards from it which for me is cash back.
I try to avoid using my debit/check card for stuff because if something goes wrong I have the money locked up until it is fixed compared to the cc where it is no my money locked up.

As for cash I try to keep at least a 20 on me for when I might need it.

 

[acidfast7]

We have the same system here in the Netherlands. Although our punch pad is to big to use as a key ring.

They have a super-secure one where you have to also insert the bankcard with chip as well. This one was the size of a 5SEK coin or slightly bigger than a 2€ coin.

Also, no personal checks in Sweden or Germany

And in Sweden, almost everyone gets paid on a single day, the 25th of the month. They're quite organized.

 

[macquariumguy]

you can't buy weed with a credit card

Great example! Most prostitutes in my price range don't take plastic, either.

 

[MattG]

With the growth of internet banking, and a PIN machines in nearly every shop, do people still use cash?

Just a quick question
When was the last time you paid cash for anything?
Just how much cash is in your wallet right now? (and no I'm not going to rob you, I'm a good bunny)

The last time I paid cash for anything was 18th December 2011.
At the present moment I've € 86 in cash in my wallet.

I almost never pay cash for anything. I've got $2 in my wallet right now, change from the $10 bill I had in there the other week. I only had it in there just in case, and figured "eh, might as well spend it."

The only time I really make an effort to carry cash is when I go somewhere that may not accept plastic. A concert venue (food), tolls if I take a road trip, etc. Otherwise, why bother?

 

[Mousse]

Great example! Most prostitutes in my price range don't take plastic, either.

Exotic dancers don't take CC either. I tried sliding my Visa between the cheek crack of a dancer and got two black eyes in return.

I'm guessing none of you are fugitives. Cash is the only way to live off the grid. Ain't no way da Gob'ment can track you if you only pay by cash. Sticking it to Big Brother.

 

[SkyBell]

I use a debit card to pay my phone and electric bills, cash for everything else. Having a physical representation of money in front of me makes it easier to keep from spending too much. My bill money goes into the bank, and my personal money is on me. Once the cash is gone, I know I have no more spend.

I'm so horrible with math I can't accurately keep track of how much I spend with a debit/credit, and end up in bad situations. Happened too many times, I don't take that risk anymore. Even if I spend all of my cash too fast, at least I don't accidentally dip into bill money like I would with plastic. (I've heard the suggestion of having more than one account; tried it, just ended up being a PITA and frustration for me. Yes, I am that logically challenged.) For me anyway, I don't think I'll ever go cashless completely.

 

[steve2112]

Exotic dancers don't take CC either. I tried sliding my Visa between the cheek crack of a dancer and got two black eyes in return.

I'm guessing none of you are fugitives. Cash is the only way to live off the grid. Ain't no way da Gob'ment can track you if you only pay by cash. Sticking it to Big Brother.

That's what they WANT you to think. You've never seen those RFID threads hidden in cash, have you?

And yeah, bouncers tend to get a bit upset when you, uh, try to swipe your card on the dancers.

 

[wvuwhat]

Debit card hasn't been used in over a year. If I make any purchase it's on my AMEX. I only keep around 50 in cash tops in my wallet at any time.

The only time I put more than 50 in my wallet is when I go out to some sort of entertainment venue (National's games, D.C. Improv, Redskin's game, Concerts, etc).